[6] After over two decades of marriage to Catherine of Aragon, King Henry VIII still had no male heir: his only legitimate child was Princess Mary.

Catherine was stripped of her title as queen consort on 23 May 1533 by the new Archbishop of Canterbury, who five days later, declared the validity of Henry's marriage to Anne,[8] which had secretly been performed in Dover.

When she was on the river, he "came always before her secretly in a barge", and a sketch plan for the banquet in Westminster Hall shows Anne Boleyn seated under a canopy, while Henry was in a closet nearby.

Anne Boleyn was carried in a litter draped with white cloth of gold, her hair was worn loose like a bride's.

The procession then travelled to the northwest of the Tower, soon arriving at Fenchurch Street, where she was greeted with a pageant consisting of children dressed as English and French merchants.

Moving down the street, Anne observed a costly and spectacular pageant, sponsored by the merchants of the Steelyard and designed by Holbein.

The coronation procession continued with plenty of sights and intricate displays for the queen, and the initials "HA" interlaced with a knot were painted everywhere.

[21] A Te Deum was sung and the crown was then swapped for a lighter one made specifically for the queen, following which mass was held, with Anne receiving the sacrament and making offerings at Saint Edward the Confessor's shrine.

[20] Anne then retired for a brief rest, after which the procession returned to Westminster Hall with the newly crowned queen supported by her father and Lord Talbot.